Callahan Center Older Adult Needs Assessment

At a glance

What: a needs assessment of Framingham's older adults by the UMass Boston Gerontology Institute with the city and the Callahan Center (senior center): census data, interviews, focus groups and a survey of residents 55 and older.
Where it stands: presented to the City Council Oct 6, 2026, with no vote. The full report is posted on the city website.
Next: a three-to-five-year strategic plan is being drafted by the Callahan Center and the mayor's office; councilors want other departments and agencies to use the data.

Residents 60 and over: about 22% in 2020, projected 29% by 2040. About 31% of those 65+ live on $50,000 or less.
Top concerns: property taxes and cost of living, difficulty maintaining homes, limited housing options, getting around without driving.
38% struggled to pay at least one bill in the past year (housing costs, dental care, health insurance).
43% say their home needs repairs and 37% say they cannot afford them; 47% want home modifications.
About 65% do not know whom to contact for help (versus 40-50% in other towns studied). Spanish and Portuguese speakers were barely reached.

Position the Callahan Center as the front door for services; expand programs and evening or weekend options.
Revisit the tax relief program, a help-a-neighbor fund and home-maintenance support.
Translated materials and multilingual staff; digital literacy; better outreach (mail the Callahan Courier).
Renew the Age Well Framingham initiative and make a citywide age and dementia friendly plan. Parking is a recurring complaint the center cannot solve alone.

Praise for the study. John Stefanini urged sharing it with social service agencies and housing and community funds, and raised a 2002 special act for a senior water and sewer discount. A councilor noted the city runs one (last round May-June 2026).
Tracey Bryant flagged the home-repair program backlog and stalled bus stop work.
Staff reported an evening-hours pilot, a second social worker and open vacancies being filled. See also City Government Reorganization for the Council on Aging changes.

About 53 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting	Minutes
2026-10-06 - City Council	53

2026-10-06 - City Council — Presented by Sue Burgerer and colleagues; councilors, Callahan Center staff and one resident commented. No action.
2026-09-08 - Council on Aging - Staff said the draft report would go to the city council first, with a public presentation at the Callahan Center on October 14 at 3 p.m. (from auto-captions).